I personally saw 30 movies, wrote 18 reviews, and came back with a nasty case of the Sundance Flu, but it was all worth it. There were some great movies this year, and while I would hesitate to say it comes close to last year, a few favorites emerged that should make a lot of noise throughout 2015. So here are my five favorite movies from the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, followed by Mae's picks for the best of the fest!
Favorite Films
5. 99 Homes
By now you probably know I'm a huge fan of Ramin Bahrani and his brand of socially conscious filmmaking. While I can admit that many of his films have the exact same structure an thus the same problems, 99 Homes is perhaps the most thrilling and gut-wrenching moral drama he's directed yet. Andrew Garfield stars as a working class father who loses his family home as part of the shady dealings during the housing crisis. Michael Shannon gives another intense performance as the real estate broker who screwed him but also offers him a chance to buy it back by doing to others what was done to him. I've always felt that playing Spider-Man was a waste of Garfield's talents, and seeing the depths of emotion he brings to this role only makes me more certain of it.
4. Slow West (review here)
I love a good Western. I love a good Western comedy. But after A Million Ways to Die in the West I can't be faulted for being a little gunshy. Not that Slow West fits neatly into that genre, anyway; it's more of a fairy tale-style deconstruction with bursts of violence and some incredibly dark sight gags. Doing his best "Man with No Name" impression, Michael Fassdbender plays a charismatic former outlaw shepherding a lovelorn boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) across the dangerous countryside to find his missing girl.
3. Z for Zachariah (review here)
Easily the most high-profile film at the festival was Craig Zobel's Z for Zachariah, just based solely on the cast: Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Chris Pine. But not everybody was feeling his post-apocalyptic human drama, which deals with issues of loneliness, faith, and compassion. No, you won't find any zombies or explosions or anything even remotely sci-fi, but the acting is so tight and the emotions so real that it doesn't matter. Not for everybody, but it struck a chord with me.
2. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (review here )
Unlike Dope, which is a slightly overrated film everybody was buzzing about, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is worthy of every bit of praise heaped on it. Quite frankly, it's a movie that shouldn't work at all. It should be too cute and precious, combining elements of The Fault in Our Stars and The Spectacular Now with charming little cinematic homages. I went in expecting to be underwhelmed but was floored by the balance of humor and sadness, and how much I fell in love with its cast of colorful characters. Chances are this will be the film you'll hear the most about through 2015, and if positioned correctly it could be a big hit. I'm expecting that it will be.
1. Brooklyn (review here)
Yeah, this one took me completely by surprise. I haven't been overly impressed with John Crowley as a director, and the plot of Brooklyn sounded like any number of films about the immigrant experience. Part of why it works so well is the familiarity; rarely have we seen this story told with such sensitivity, and what it has to say about leaving home and finding one's own way are significant. If given a late season slot as some expect, we could easily be talking about Saoirse Ronan as a Best Actress contender, and frankly I'd be disappointed if that's not the case.Mae's Top 5 Picks (in no particular order!)
99 Homes - (read review here) There aren't many films that can hit home about recent topics like this film can. Director Ramin Bahrani really cuts to the chase in his tale about an evicted construction worker (Andrew Garfield) who winds up working for a shady realtor (Michael Shannon) during the recession that hit many homeowners like a punch in the gut. The story takes a very touchy subject and turns it into a thrilling drama that's morally ambiguous, passionately portrayed by the lead actors and well told. A gripping film that hits close to home and is sometimes hard to watch.
Unexpected - (read review here) Cobie Smulders may be known for her turn as Robin in How I Met Your Mother, but she definitely proves here that she can play in a new sandbox in her turn as a teacher whose life is changed when she discovers she's pregnant and subsequently finds out that one of her best students is as well (Gail Bean). The film flows naturally, is surprisingly sensitive about a topic that's been done before, and treats its story and its characters with heightened fragility and unwavering strength. It highlights women's decisions about motherhood, work, and doubts during a time when many think these choices come easy. 
Dope - (read review here) Definitely one of the most must-see films of the festival, Dope is made of love. No, really! If you loved the '90s, then this may be the film for you. The film follows the lives of Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his friends (Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons) as '90s hip-hop obsessed geeks (right down to their clothing and hairdos) who are trying to get out of their bad neighborhood and into college, but wind up trying to get themselves out of trouble when they find that Malcolm's backup has been filled with cocaine. The film is clever, full of laughs, has a great script, and is also able to get more serious at the end. Shameik Moore really stands out as Malcolm and everything in the story eventually ties itself together in the end.
Z for Zachariah - (read review here) A post-apocalyptic film that doesn't include an autocracy, mazes, games, or zombies, yet Z for Zachariah is just as edgy regardless, but for completely different reasons. The film follows three individuals (Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Chris Pine) who are among the last of the human race. There are a lot of intriguing themes in the film that make it a thought provoking watch. The struggle to cope with survival as their primal instincts take over, director Craig Zobel is able to create three-dimensional characters and make them all a bit morally ambiguous in the process as they cope with their situation and new dynamic among various . A film that may not be fore
Brooklyn - (read review here) I went into this film completely unaware that it would take me so utterly by surprise. It's the kind of film you read the summary of and think "ok, at least it doesn't sound awful," but in reality, Brooklyn is so much more than anything you can imagine and is a truthfully poignant tale about the immigrant story, which is often told in extreme sadness and violence. Saoirse Ronan is fantastic in her role as Eilis, who is torn between her home country of Ireland and America in a moving and fantastically executed film by John Crowley. The film is heart-wrenching, sprinkled with humor, and treats Eilis's circumstances respectfully and with the attention and emotional maturity that most films can't muster with this kind of story. A masterfully well done and beautiful film.
